Aequator Groen & Ruimte B.V., Wageningen Environmental Research (Alterra), VGB Watertechniek B.V. and Voltea B.V. are working on a technological innovation to make brackish (unsuitable) water less saline (suitable) for irrigated agriculture.

Voltea developed the "Membrane Capacitive Deonization" (CapDI) technology, where ions are removed from the feed water by applying an electrical potential difference between two electrodes covered with selective ion exchange membranes. Unlike the reverse osmosis technique used in Dutch horticulture, only a pre-set percentage of the ions can be removed. The benefits of a relatively low salt removal rate are that the energy consumption is lower and the water recovery is higher when compared to reverse osmosis.

In this movie, Melle Nikkels explains about a pilot project where we test whether CapDI is a suitable technique to partially desalinise water for irrigation purposes in the Netherlands whereby the farmer can provide itself with “tailor-made” water.